CONSTITUTION UNDER FIRE IN MINNESOTA: Impending Legislation Threatens Freedom of Speech in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

House File 1944 and Senate File 1915, politically motivated measures aimed at suppressing political speech by membership organizations such as the NRA, continue to move quickly through the Minnesota legislature and could be voted on at any time by either chamber.

These flawed and dangerous bills overreach to impose excessive regulatory burdens and pose a grave risk to freedom of speech in Minnesota.

HF 1944 and SF 1915 would require organizations like the NRA, who engage in political speech, to disclose the names of many of their donors, including those who pay membership dues. This legislation would re-brand what is now recognized as free speech as “elections speech,” thereby subjecting it to strict and onerous regulations – regulations that would tell organizations what they can and cannot say depending on the time of year.

The NRA strongly opposes this attempt to inhibit fundamental First Amendment rights by forcingdisclosure of the names, addresses, and contributions by those who affiliate themselves with groups that disseminate candidate information.